SL TOURNAMENT ASSOCIATIO
The Second Life Tournament Association, or SLTA, is a premier SL medieval games organization founded on the principals of the Olympic games to bring friend and foe together in a shared love of sport. It was established October 2011 to manage Intra-sim (referred to as Intersim) Joust, Archery and Melee Tournaments of the Double Dragon Academy (DDA) and manages the SLTA Cry the Tournament Intersim Joust event. It was the first to bring individual Realms together in a cooperative sporting venture, offer points standings for participants, website for information and annual awards for recognition. Websites include: *slournament.com http://sltournament.wix.com/sltournament *joustingleague.com (Jousts | SLTA Jousts) http://www.joustingleague.com/#!stla/c659 Affiliations Currently, the SLTA is specifically affiliated with the following jousts, which are included in the SLTA Standings along with many other jousts in SL: * Dragons Lair, Duchy Of Schleswig, Darlecia, Casterly Rock, Melanthia, Nevermore, Ravenhearts, Kings Landing, Avilion, White Hall, Kings Landing, Glanmire. * Double Dragon Academy Joust(s) (Monday Sunday, DDA Wednesday Joust, DDA Saturday International Joust) * SLTA Cry the Tournament Friday Inter-sim Joust In addition, the SLTA organizes the following jousts: * SLTA/DDA Monthly Championships for Joust * SLTA/DDA Monthly Team Joust * SLTA/DDA Monthly Charity Jousts Establishment The SLTA was established in October of 2011 to manage Double Dragon Academy (DDA) Intersim Championship Tournaments for Joust, Archery and Melee, and eventually Team Jousts. The Second Life Tournament Association was first to establish: * The oldest medieval games / joust organization in SL offering points performance tracking * The Cry the Tournament Intersim joust, the first and oldest rotating intersim joust in SL between Realms * Annual standings calculated based from the Top 4 finishers in a joust with 4-3-2-1 points awarded respectfully for 1st-4th place * Coexistence with Double Dragon Academy, one the oldest medieval-combat training academy in SL * First to offer an organized Monthly Inter-sim Team Joust with standings and annual recognition. * First to offer Monthly Inter-sim Championship Jousts, Archery and Melee Tournaments * Working and promotion of other allied roleplay sims * First to offer a website (MISS) website devoted exclusively to SLTA, DDA and SL Joust results, with a wealth of history and general information from the past 7+ years on the evolution of the virtual joust in SL. * First to offer Inter-Sim Charity jousts from time to time * First to establish lane guidelines which regulated the maximum width of 45 degrees for a lance and 35 degree turns into or out from the center rail. Features The SLTA's signature event, Cry the Tournament Interim Joust, was the first to organize joust tournament events between participating Realms and offer a tournament in the Grand Tournament tradition of Medieval Jousts. The Inter-sim tournament ‘Cry The Tournament’ is organized into 5 parts: 1) Presenting the Rules, Oath and Jousters; 2) Welcoming by the Tournament Host; 3) Calling the Joust; 4) Awarding the Winners; 5) Fellowship and Dance. The event rotates between participating Realms. The concept for this Grand Tournament first emanated from conversations between the DDA and former USK knights in April 2011. By May 2011 MISS (Medieval Intersim Support) was formed and grew to 6 supporting hosts with the DDA as a co-sponsor. In September of 2011, the groups owner was called away by RL and transferred Cry The Tournament Joust to DDA Headmaster, Forester Lowenhart, a ranking member of MISS. The group merged with the SLTA in December 2011 and by the end of it’s 6th season, had hosted in 50 different SL Realms. In conjunction with the DDA, it also established the first monthly championships for Joust, Sword and Archery, the King Phy Charity joust in December 2011, monthly Team Jousts in 2012 and Relay4Life Charity Jousts in spring of 2013. The SLTA joust season runs from June to June of each year, while the archery, melee and alternative sport season runs from January to January. Twice a year it holds an Anniversary to award top honors to participants and celebrate each season. Point tracking established in 2011, begins new each annual season. Governance Cry The Tournament governance is an independant organization based on a ‘round table’ approach, and is open to all tournament hosts. It maintains the original tournament format unless a unanimous decision is reached for any changes. Few formal procedural rules exist beyond beyond the guidelines posted on its website. History of governance: MISS Board of Directors *June 2011-September 2011: Bono Niekerk (Chair), Forester Lowenhart, Cesta Franzini and FeydaAnn Ferryhill. SLTA Stewardship *September 2011- June 2012: Forester Lowenhart, Cesta Franzini (Chair), FeydaAnn Ferryhill, Bella Denver and Restless Swords. *June 2012-June 2014: Forester Lowenhart, Bella Denver and Kzebo Rufus (January 2013-November 2013). *June 2014 to present: SLTA Participating Hosts, rotating chairperson. The organization is managed by all participating hosts (Realm representative), who meet as time allows to discuss best practices and coordinate schedules using a consultative approach for unanimous support over majority rule. Meeting location rotates between participating Realms, as does the chairperson role. It is not a public forum, but all are welcomed to observe and submit agenda items through their Realm representative prior to a scheduled meeting. Challenges Challenges arose early over new height restrictions and allowable lance angles in SLTA guidelines, now generally accepted for freestyle jousts, and modifiable by the tournament host. By the end of the first year (2011), contention arose within the SLTA stewardship group when its chairperson was criticized for altering the original format. Following her resignation in June 2012, SLTA headquarters and several board members were ejected from the chairperson’s lands and relocated to Tir Na Bridgid in July 2012 under the stewardship of Lowenhart and Denver. Under their stewardship, the ‘Cry The Tournament’ Intersim grew from 6 to 45 Realm participants successfully establishing the Joust as the premier medieval sport in SL and leading to a proliferation of new jousts in many realms. Contention arose again in November of 2013 following the protest by STLA stewards of a hostile take over of an SLTA monthly sword event jointly hosted with the White Knights (WK). Soon after, Colton Dreschler of the WK along with Capt. Blinker's of Celtic Isle withdrew from hosting SLTA events, while continuing support for their members to participate in SLTA events. No protest or explanation was given, but in January 2015 WK and Celtic Isle announced the adoption of Blinker's group 'United Jousters' as a rival league. It’s initial website relied heavily on SLTA information and format going so far as ‘inducting’ past and present SLTA hosts prior to gaining their permission or participation. SLTA chief steward Lowenhart welcomed the new league by joining the group and posting a notice for both leagues to work to unite rather than divide the community.Jousting League is Online!, published March 4, 2014, Medieval Herald Blog In response the UJ suspended notice rights to those without official position, in violation of a core freedom originally promised to all who joined the UJ. Reaction to Jousting League website announcement, published March 8, 2014, Medieval Herald Blog The UJ’s leader continued to openly promote an adversarial policy towards the SLTA in UJ public meetings and minutes through personal support for conflictive scheduling and boycott of SLTA and DDA events. Leader of United Jousters makes agenda clear, published March 12, 2014, Medieval Herald Blog The UJ barred the SLTA and DDA from direcgtly posting joust results to their website, limiting those rights to authorized Team captains. By comparison the SLTA and DDA supported the reporting policy of the Jousting League which allowed any Realm or Jouster the freedom to post their jousting results. Sharing of point standings leads to lively debate, published March 17, 2014, Medieval Herald Blog Protests against UJ policies by members of both leagues and ridicule of SLTA leadership, lead to defections from the UJ and the formulation of several new jousting groups,New Group Jousters 4 Jousting is formed, published April 10, 2014, Medieval Herald Blog''including one by its first chairperson and founding member, who voiced criticism of UJ policies. ''New Group Virtual Jousting League is formed, published September 24, 2014, Medieval Herald Blog The chief SLTA spokesperson refrained from public comment, opting to promote support for the Jousting League's Professional Set of Standards. Jousting League announces Professional set of standards, published July 1, 2014, Medieval Herald Blog Jousting League Website, Section: Home|About You Participation in SLTA’s Cry The Tournament declined in early 2015 as a result of individual UJ leaders scheduling jousts in time-slots long held by the SLTA, and a proliferation of new jousts and groups. Jousting League Website,Section: Jousts|League Standings/Season 3,4''To accommodate new jousts, the SLTA adopted a bi-weekly schedule for the Friday Intersim ''Cry the Tournament in the second half of its 4th season. By the beginning of its 5th season in June 2015, the SLTA resumed its weekly schedule due to a growing influx of new Realms and accomodated new jousts by moving to a later time. New Realms and old join to host SLTA Intersim’, published January 29, 2016, Medieval Herald Blog Community criticism for UJ policies against certain groups continued to grow and by mid-year 2015, many of the UJ member groups and realms had closed a year and a half after the UJ’s inception. SLTA Celebrates 4th Year; Begins 5th, published July 1, 2015, Medieval Herald Blog The group went into a sharp decline and by years end, its headquarters, signature grand joust and website had ceased to exist.Updates on United Jousters group and jousts, published June 13, 2015, Medieval Herald Blog The website was later resurrected in the third quarter of 2016 as a tournament archive. Despite these challenges, the SLTA has maintained steady growth and popularity. According to records kept by the Jousting League© SLTA participating member jousts made up 56% in Season 4 (June 2014-2015) and 63% in current season 5. References